1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a switch device and a vehicle switch device using the switch device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A steering switch device is known which has plural switches provided on a spoke portion of a steering wheel of a vehicle (see e.g. JP-A-2013-196761). The vehicle switch device is configured as a push switch on which plural operating knobs are arranged. In detail, the steering switch device as a vehicle switch device is configured such that a first operating knob having an operation surface push-operable obliquely upward on the near side are adjacent to a second operating knob having an operation surface tilt-operable toward substantially the rear side of the vehicle. The first and second operating knobs are arranged such that the respective surfaces are smoothly continuous with each other with a very small gap in-between and form, as a whole, a continuous surface from an upper surface (i.e., a surface facing a driver) to a side surface (i.e., a surface on the near side of the driver) of the steering wheel.
Then, for example, the first operating knob also has a configuration in which plural operating knobs constituting the first operating knob are adjacently arranged with very small gaps in-between. This allows many operating knobs to be arranged within an operable range of a finger/thumb of the driver who is holding a ring portion of the steering wheel, and it is therefore possible to arrange a number of operating knobs without impairing operability. In addition, since the steering switch device in this form is configured such that the first operating knob is supported so as to be push-operable and also the second operating knob is supported by a shaft so as to be tilt-operable, the driver can perform both the push operation of the first operating knob and the tilt operation of the second operating knob by a finger/thumb without difficulty while holding the ring portion and better operability is guaranteed.